If you're interested in teaching

I've been back in New York for my vacation, and the in last few days I've met a few people who are interested in teaching in South Korea. Here are a few questions I've been asked and my answers.

This may be of interest to you even if you're not looking to teach, but just want to know a little bit about what I do. Keep in mind that I've only lived eight months in Seoul, therefore my knowledge and experience are limited at best.

So far, how has your overall experience been teaching in South Korea?
My experience has not been easy, but the positives have outweighed the negatives. I recommend it to anyone that is open-minded and flexible. If you're not open-minded and flexible, don't go to Korea.

What do you like/dislike about it?
Likes:
*Living in a foreign country is just cool. I don't often get tired of looking at the people, sights and foreign-language signs. It's fascinating to me. Experiencing another culture is good for your resume and it's good for you.
*Although there is some anti-U.S. sentiment because of the American military presence and the US-Korea free trade agreement (also known as the FTA), many Koreans admire Western culture and will treat you with a certain amount of respect. Some people will be unusually nice to you because the sight of foreigners is exciting to them. Some Koreans I've met are quite ignorant of the world outside Korea (you can expect stereotypes, and you can't be offended by them), but they are genuinely concerned about the impression they're giving outsiders. A group of students were shocked when I told them that some foreigners get frustrated with Korea and end up leaving.
*Opportunities to make friends with Koreans. This may vary depending on where you work, but if you can make a few good Korean acquaintances, they'll do just about anything to make your life easier, whether it's showing you around the city, teaching you Korean phrases, or interpreting for you as you run errands.
*Many teaching jobs have decent salaries and benefits, and the cost of living here is bearable. I've been able to pay down a good chunk of my debt in a shorter time than I expected.
*Because you're a foreigner, many Koreans are quite interested in listening to whatever you have to say. I've discussed everything from politics to religion to social events in the classroom. I've played every kind of role, from talk-show host to motivational speaker to career counselor. Knowing that I'm having a positive, long-term effect on students' lives is very gratifying.

Dislikes:
*Constantly feeling like an outsider. Although I have made some wonderful Korean friends who do the best they can to accomodate me, there are times when under the best circumstances I just don't completely fit in. It's at times like this that I find myself retreating more toward my Western friends.
*The constant staring. Most of the time it doesn't bother me, often it's amusing, sometimes it gets annoying. Many Koreans don't understand that we consider this rude, and you just have to deal with that.
*Not always knowing what people think of me. Many Koreans are not always direct about their feelings or problems, although some will speak more directly once they become comfortable with you.
*Depending on where you work, Korean-foreigner interaction is not expected and is sometimes discouraged. It's accepted at my school, but it's still considered unusual by some (on both sides of the fence). Koreans have a well-deserved reputation for separating themselves and only hanging with other Koreans. Even some Korean friends and students have ashamedly admitted this to me.
*The language barrier. Life in Seoul is quite doable without knowing Korean--there are enough bilingual people and signs to help you with most things--but sometimes it's a little frustrating. I'm studying Korean and making some progress, but it's slow. I can sometimes communicate in Korean and understand what people are saying to me, but there are times when my understanding completely fails me--and it always seems to happen at the most inconvenient times.
*In addition to the language barrier, sometimes when you are eating or drinking coffee with a group of Koreans, they may all begin speaking Korean with each other--effectively shutting you out of the conversation. This happens especially with lower-level students. They usually don't realize that this can be offensive; they do it because sustained English speaking can be difficult and exhausting. For Koreans whose English is extremely limited (for example, my friend Sang Yoon), this doesn't bother me. In most other cases I hate it and sometimes it makes me very angry. I all but rebuked a group of upper-level students after dinner at a restaurant a few weeks ago for yakking away in Korean the whole time. However, this is a part of the culture I have to deal with sometimes, and I try not to take it personally. In some classes, if the students are talking excessively in Korean (which they're not supposed to do), I begin addressing them in Spanish. It initially freaks them out, but they always get the message.

How does it differ from teaching in the US?
This is hard to answer because I haven't taught in the US. However, Korean students tend to be shy and need a lot of motivation to talk. In American classrooms, we are taught to actively engage in discussions, answer questions, smile and make eye contact with the teacher. In Korean culture many of these things are considered rude. When asking a class something like: "Good morning, how is everyone today?" it's not uncommon to be met with an awkward silence. The same applies when asking for a volunteer to read a textbook passage out loud or answer a question. Although some classes are better than others, this is something you will always face. This is where the flexibility part comes in.

Are your students receptive to your teaching style?
It varies from class to class. Some students are afraid of me. Some students have told me that at first they were put off by my voice, because I tend to be a little soft-spoken and monotone--although later they started to like me because I also laugh and make jokes. I use a lot of humor to make them comfortable. I also allow them to ask me all kinds of personal questions. Occasionally I do impersonations of Korean and American pop stars. It's silly, but students love it. Recently a class was able to convince me to sing a few lines of Paula Abdul's "Rush Rush." There's a long story behind that. I've generally gotten more positive than negative responses. I've been able to turn a lot of stereotypes upside down.

What is your teaching style and what training, if any, did you have prior to going to South Korea?
In addition to the above, I encourage students as much as I can and I constantly remind them that they are already English speakers and are simply improving the knowledge they already have. (Koreans are extremely self-deprecating about their English ability.) Pep talks aside, I focus on conversation and I ask lots of questions, especially introspective and philosophical ones. My students sometimes complain that my topics and questions are too "heavy," but I like to make them think. Many of my students are extremely intelligent, even more so than me-- but few of them seem to be accustomed to thinking critically and independently. I don't try to westernize them, but I do like to make them think and express their feelings in English.

I had no training before Korea, and even after starting work I didn't have a lot of training. You just have to be spontaneous and ask lots of questions of other teachers. Teaching came naturally to me, so this hasn't been a big problem for me. Although I'm not very organized and I'm a lousy administrator. I hope to improve this in the future.

Has it been particularly difficult for you to adjust to the culture there?
Yes and no. It just depends on the day.

Are the students interested in knowing about your culture, not just American culture, but your African American culture as well?
Sometimes. It depends on the group. It's interesting to them as long as you keep it simple.

What do you do in your spare time?

Exercise, read, walk around Seoul, hang out with friends and students and other teachers, play guitar and sing, study Korean, contemplate my existence. I used to surf the Internet a lot, but I've cut down on this in the last few months. That's one of the reasons I haven't updated this blog in such a long time.

Do you see yourself doing this again, maybe in another country?
Yes, I do--although I've become quite comfortable in Korea and I hope to hang there for a while. I'm already planning to stay at least a second year after my contract expires this summer. If I could choose one other place, it would probably be somewhere in Latin America.

I've also been asked about racial discrimination in Korea. This is something I will address shortly in a subsequent post.